The present invention relates to non-compressed detergent tablets.
Detergent compositions in tablet form are known in the art. Detergent compositions in tablet form hold several advantages over detergent compositions in particulate or liquid form, such as ease of use and handling, convenient dosing, ease of transportation and storage. Due to these advantages, detergent compositions in tablet form are becoming increasingly popular with consumers of detergent products.
Detergent tablets are most commonly prepared by pre-mixing the components and forming the pre-mixed components into a tablet via the use of a tablet press and compression of the components. However, traditional tablet compression processes have significant drawbacks, including but not limited to the fact that selected components of a detergent composition may be adversely affected by the compression pressure in the tablet press. Accordingly, these selected components were not typically included in prior art detergent tablets without sustaining a loss in performance. In some cases, these selected components may even have become unstable or inactive as a result of the compression.
In addition, as the components of the detergent composition are compressed in the tablet press, they are brought into close proximity with one another resulting in the reaction of selected component, instability, inactivity or exhaustion of the active form of the components.
To avoid the above mentioned drawbacks, prior art detergent tablets have attempted to separate components of the detergent composition that may potentially react with each other when the detergent composition is compressed into tablet form. Separation of the components has been achieved by, for example, preparing multiple-layer tablets wherein the reactive components are contained in different layers of the tablet or encapsulation and coating of reactive components. These prior art multiple-layer tablets are traditionally prepared using multiple compression steps. Accordingly, layers of the tablet which are subjected to more than one compression step may be subjected to a cumulative and potentially greater overall compression pressure. In addition, an increase in compression pressure of the tabletting press is known to decrease the rate of dissolution of the tablet with the effect that such multiple layer tablets may not dissolve satisfactorily in use. Nor is there any significant variation in the dissolution rates of the multiple layers.
Accordingly, the need remains for an improved detergent tablet which can deliver active detergent ingredients to a domestic wash process thereby delivering superior performance benefits.
This need is met by the present invention wherein a detergent tablet having a non-compressed gelatinous body is provided. The tablet of the present invention provides a superior delivery mechanism for detergent components. In addition, the detergent tablet of the present invention provides superior cleaning performance, particularly in domestic automatic dishwashing machines over the tablets of the prior art.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, the gelatinous body comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active and wherein the gelatinous body is formulated so that at least about 80% of the detergent active is delivered to the wash within the first 5 minutes of a domestic wash process.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, the gelatinous body comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active and the detergent tablet has a dissolution rate of greater than about 0.33 g/min as determined using the SOTAX dissolution test method.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, which comprises:
i) a first non-compressed, gelatinous portion, the first gelatinous portion comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and
ii) a second non-compressed, gelatinous portion, the second gelatinous portion comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and wherein the first gelatinous body is formulated so that at least about 80% of said detergent active is delivered to the wash within the first 5 minutes of a domestic wash process.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, which comprises:
i) a first non-compressed, gelatinous portion, the first gelatinous portion comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and
ii) a second non-compressed, gelatinous portion, the second gelatinous portion comprising a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and wherein the detergent tablet is formulated so that at least about 80% of said detergent active is delivered to the wash within the first 5 minutes of a domestic wash process.
According to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, which comprises a plurality of non-compressed, gelatinous portions, wherein each gelatinous portion comprises a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and wherein at least one of said plurality of non-compressed, gelatinous portions is formulated so that at least about 80% of said detergent active is delivered to the wash within the first 5 minutes of a domestic wash process.
According to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, a detergent tablet is provided. The tablet comprises a non-compressed, gelatinous body, which comprises a plurality of non-compressed, gelatinous portions, wherein each gelatinous portion comprises a thickening system and at least one detergent active; and wherein said detergent tablet is formulated so that at least about 80% of said detergent active is delivered to the wash within the first 5 minutes of a domestic wash process.
The detergent active in the detergent tablet, non-compressed, gelatinous body or in any of the non-compressed, gelatinous portions may be selected from the group consisting of surfactants, enzymes, bleaching agents, effervescing agents, silver care agents, builders, silicates, pH control agents or buffers, enzymes, alkalinity sources, colorants, perfume, lime soap dispersants, organic polymeric compounds including polymeric dye transfer inhibiting agents, crystal growth inhibitors, heavy metal ion sequestrants, metal ion salts, enzyme stabilizers, corrosion inhibitors, suds suppressers, solvents, fabric softening agents, optical brighteners and hydrotropes and mixtures thereof, with enzymes and disrupting agents being the most preferred. When a disrupting agent is included, the disrupting agent is preferably a salt of carbonate or bicarbonate and an organic acid.
In alternative embodiments, the detergent tablet, non-compressed, gelatinous body or in any of the non-compressed, gelatinous portions may contain at least about 15% suspended solids and more preferably at least about 40% of the gel portion is a suspended solid. The detergent tablet, non-compressed, gelatinous body or in any of the non-compressed, gelatinous portions may further includes a swelling/adsorbing agent.
The thickening system of the present invention preferably comprises a mixture of a non-aqueous diluent or solvent and a gelling agent. The gelling agent may be selected from the group consisting of castor oil derivatives, polyethylene glycol and mixtures thereof and is preferably polyethylene glycol. The non-aqueous diluent may be selected from the group consisting of low molecular weight polyethylene glycols, glycerol and modified glycerols, propylene glycol, alkyleneglycol alkyl ethers and mixtures thereof and is preferably dipropyleneglycol butylether, propylene glycol or glycerol triacetate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a detergent tablet having a non-compressed, gelatinous body or a plurality of non-compressed, gelatinous portion. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a detergent tablet, non-compressed, gelatinous body or in any of the non-compressed, gelatinous portions which can quickly and efficiently deliver detergent actives to a domestic wash process. It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a detergent tablet, non-compressed, gelatinous body or a plurality of non-compressed, gelatinous portions which are pumpable, flowable gels at slightly elevated temperatures yet harden or thicken to maintain their form at ambient temperatures, particularly when shear is removed from the gel. These, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description and the appended claims.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are by weight, unless otherwise specified. All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (xc2x0 C.) unless otherwise specified. All documents cited are in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference.